Exiting the ancestral home, Bo Jingmo opened the car door and got inside.
He lowered his head to check his phone, where that same photo still greeted him.
His fingers paused momentarily as his gaze lingered for several seconds before he exited the screen, only then noticing that Chen Chao had sent him another message.
Chen Chao: [Bro, your girlfriend already went back.]
He replied with a simple "Got it," then opened Yu Li's chat window. Their conversation still showed only his previous message.
After hesitating briefly, he tentatively sent another:
[Sweetheart, are you back at school yet?]
The reply came swiftly.
Yu Li: [Done with your work?]
Yu Li: [Does your father know about me? Did he say anything?]
Bo Jingmo: [Nothing important. Don't worry. Get some rest early. After class tomorrow, I'll pick you up and we'll go out to eat, okay?]
Yu Li: [Okay, you too~(*^▽^*)]
Putting down his phone, Bo Jingmo exhaled deeply before making another call.
The other end answered quickly: "President Bo, what's the matter?"
Loosening his tie, Bo Jingmo's sharp jawline exuded an icy chill as his fingers tapped rhythmically on the steering wheel. His voice was heavy.
"Send me Rong Fan's address."
Meanwhile, on the street...
"Uh, sis... I've sent the message..."
Chen Chao held up his phone screen with trembling hands, his voice quivering. "We really meant no harm, just wanted to say hello."
As he spoke, he couldn't help glancing toward the alley where a man lay unconscious on the ground. His hand holding the phone shook slightly as he screamed internally.
Why did things turn out ?!
Rewind twenty minutes earlier...
After seeing Yu Li and an unfamiliar man enter a deserted alley, Chen Chao and Ye Boli exchanged glances before quietly following.
They overheard the conversation inside:
"Yu Li, what did you want to ask me?"
Soon after came a woman's light laughter: "Rong Fan, do you think you're special? Is that why you believe I've been tolerating your rudeness?"
Yu Li brushed dust off her fingertips, smiling at the man before her: "I'll give you two choices now. Either disappear from my sight forever, or die here today."
Rong Fan's smile vanished instantly, his initial joy replaced by an eerie silence. His disappointed gaze turned sinister as he stared at the woman before him.
"Yu Li, I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"
He stepped closer with each word. "On the contrary, I've been cooperating with you. Just because I accidentally touched you, you're this angry? Or is it that you've been rejecting me all along?"
When he stood right before her, he spoke slowly: "Or are you afraid I might discover something, which is why you're keeping your distance?"
At this, Yu Li tilted her head and emitted a short, ambiguous sound.
"Afraid you'd discover what?"
Her eyes curved into crescents. "Rong Fan, you overestimate yourself."
Rong Fan stiffened, his expression crumbling: "Then why—"
Before he could finish, she interrupted.
"I just find you noisy. Your constant chatter gives me a headache." She propped her chin with a light laugh.
"You haven't changed—still as annoying as ever."
Rong Fan's pupils constricted sharply, a jolt running down his spine. "What did you mean by that last part?!"
What did she mean by "as before"?
Just as he reached to grab Yu Li's shoulders, an unseen force suddenly coiled around his wrist and ankles. In the dark alley, he couldn't see what it was but sensed an unknown danger approaching.
Cold sweat formed on his forehead as he stammered: "Yu... Yu Li, what are you—"
"Rong Fan, according to Yu Jiao, Bai Shaodong lied to you all about bringing Limu back. So that's why you're here too?" Yu Li cut him off, tapping her chin with a chuckle. "How about I let you meet Limu too?"
Rong Fan froze mid-struggle, an unreadable light flashing in his eyes: "Really?"
The woman burst into laughter before drawling:
Rong Fan, do you really think I don't know what you're after?
She spread her hands lazily toward the man:
"Well, our chat ends here, Rong Fan. Live out your remaining days quietly—don't force me to finish you off."
Before Rong Fan could speak, excruciating pain exploded in his head. His consciousness vanished instantly as his eyes rolled back, collapsing unconscious.
Yu Li retracted Black Moon, tilting her head slightly to gaze indifferently at the empty alley entrance.
"Planning to keep eavesdropping? You two at the entrance?"
Having heard everything, Chen Chao and Ye Boli jumped like startled cats, stumbling out from their hiding spot.
"W-we were just passing by," Chen Chao stammered, his legs nearly giving way when he noticed the unconscious man on the ground.
Holy shit! Did Brother Bo's girlfriend just kill someone?!
As if reading his mind, Yu Li nonchalantly nudged Rong Fan with her foot: "Not dead. He'll wake up soon."
Wait! What's good about this?! Knocking someone out isn't normal either!!
Chen Chao felt his worldview shattering. Since when was Brother Bo's girlfriend this... this terrifying?
Meeting her icy stare, Chen Chao recoiled in terror, suddenly realizing their precarious situation.
They might be next on the ground.
"Yu... Yu Li, we mean no harm."
So please don't hit us wuwuwu.
Yu Li adjusted her hat, her tone indifferent: "You know me?"
Still processing everything, Ye Boli stepped forward when Chen Chao froze in fear:
"Um... we're not bad people. We're Bo Jingmo's roommates. We saw you earlier, and he asked us to keep an eye on you, to let him know when you returned."
Hearing Bo Jingmo's name, Yu Li froze: "Roommates?"
Chen Chao nodded frantically, pulling out his phone to show their chat history as proof.
"See? Here's our conversation."
Yu Li glanced casually, only to freeze when she saw the photo of her with Rong Fan.
Her expression stiffened slightly: "...You sent Bo Jingmo a photo of me with him?"
'Him' referring to the unconscious Rong Fan.
Chen Chao's eyes widened guiltily as he scratched his cheek: "Well... but Brother Bo didn't say much about it, right?"
Massaging her temples in exasperation, she finally understood why Bo Jingmo hadn't come.
Seeing Rong Fan, her boyfriend hadn't questioned why she'd met him—meaning he'd already known about their possible encounter.
The only source? That message on his phone earlier.
No wonder he'd been distracted all day—he must have seen Rong Fan's friend request.
Sighing at the nervous pair before her, she smiled warmly: "It's fine. I'll explain it to him later."
Extending her hand, she said gently: "Nice to meet you. Bo Jingmo mentioned you before. We were supposed to meet properly, just not ."
Chen Chao and Ye Boli: "..."
Yeah, we didn't expect this either.
They shook hands awkwardly: "Nice... to meet you too."
After brief pleasantries, Yu Li suddenly said: "Oh, there's one more thing I'd like your help with."
The two exchanged confused glances.
Thus began the subsequent events.
Chen Chao stared at his phone, baffled by Yu Li's request.
Why lie to Brother Bo about returning to campus?
"So... you're not going back to school?"
Yu Li, busy texting Mu Chengsi, blinked before chuckling softly.
"I suspect someone might overthink things again."
She needs to check on her boyfriend.